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"That's it! We're leaving. Grab your luggage and let'sgo," shouted Gavin.

Alex, eager to be leaving, bounded towards the door, grabbing his bag on the way. The Limo driver intercepted him and reached for the bag, which Alex let him have after a brief moment of hesitation. Alex accompanied the driver out to the black Lincoln Continental sedan, where his bag was loaded. The driver then returned for Gavin's bag. Gavin, used to the procedure, was still patiently waiting.

Gavin's mother stood at the door as the boys left, waving at them with a smile and admonishing them to be safe, have a nice trip, call home, and the usual motherly comments. The driver opened the door for them and they got in. Alex, unused to being waited on, thought it was a little awkward having a chauffer, but had no desire to discuss his discomfort.

The car drove off, the driver totally silent. Alex looked at Gavin, and Gavin looked back. "Pretty neat, eh, Alex?" Gavin said through a slightly mischievous smile. He had noticed Alex's discomfort when the driver had taken his bag from him.

"Um, if you say so."

"Because I'm the son of a diplomat and travelling with official diplomatic documents, there are certain protocols that must be followed."

"Oh, yeah. The papers."

"The raison d'etre for the trip, in theory."

"Can I see them?"

Gavin raised a questioning eyebrow, "They're top secret government communiqués. Even I can't see them."

"No, that isn't what I meant at all. I mean are they in a sealed envelope or what?"

"Oh. Yeah. They're in this brown Tyvek envelope. It's then sealed with this tamperproof diplomatic tape," said Gavin, pulling out a 10 x 13 envelope that said Diplomatic Courier Pouch – Classified on it in large red letters in both English and Mandarin.

"Oh, that's cool. So we just have to deliver this and then we're free to do whatever we want?"

"Yeah. Pretty much."

"Cool."

During the drive, they talked a bit about the aggravations of long flights, but nothing serious was said because they were both conscious of the driver and his ability to overhear anything they might say. Though they knew the driver was trained and had security clearance and wouldn't repeat anything to anyone, neither boy thought discussing recent personal issues would be appropriate.

Instead of talking, they both looked out the windows at the majestic scenery of San Francisco Bay. Soon, they were pulling into San Francisco International Airport, and the driver came to a stop in front of the United Airlines terminal. The driver turned off the car, exited, and came around, opening the curb side door to let the boys out before unloading their luggage. A police officer rushed towards them, "You can't park here! Move that car!"

The driver pulled out his diplomatic car identification card and pointed at the car's diplomatic tag. The officer glared but moved on with a, "Please, move out of the way as soon as possible, sirs."

"Of course, Officer," said the driver formally with his crisp English accent.

"This way, gentlemen," said the driver, grabbing both bags and pressing forward. The boys followed, both wearing their backpacks that would serve as their carry-on luggage.

The driver headed towards the check-in counter and, as they arrived, ushered the boys in front of him. He stood behind them, holding their bags. The line was relatively short and soon they were at the front.

Gavin stepped forward. "Hello! I've got two tickets waiting for me for the 11am flight to Hong Kong."

"May I see your passports please?" requested the agent. Gavin had his ready and handed it over. In the meantime, the driver had set Gavin's bags on the scale, and then stepped back behind him.

Alex was unprepared and spent several minutes digging for his passport. He silently berated himself for not being organized. He didn't want to look bad in front of Gavin and he was certain he was blowing it; he was certain Gavin thought he was a stupid git. Alex finally found his passport, leaned forward, and handed it to the agent.

The check-in agent typed rapidly, furrowed her brow, and then picked up the phone and called someone. Gavin look perplexed and was about to say something just as the driver stepped forward. "Excuse me, madam. Is there a problem? These tickets were arranged by the Consulate."

"No, that's not it at all. I've got the reservations. No problem at all. Hold on just one moment," said the agent before she rattled off something to the person at the other end of the phone. "We normally upgrade people travelling on diplomatic passports to business or first class depending on availability, but your travelling companion isn't eligible. I'm trying to see what I can do. It's either that or I have to split your party."

"I think that..." began the driver before Gavin cut in, "... Wouldn't work at all. I'll fly in coach with my friend if there's no way for both of us to sit up front."

"Sir," said the driver to Gavin, "for protocol reasons diplomats travel in the front cabins when possible."

"Protocol be damned. Friends stick together. Let the airline do whatever they need to do."

"Yes, sir. I'll have to report this to your father, of course."

"Of course," intoned Gavin with irritation. "You do what you have to do." He gave the driver a hard look, which carried some of the superiority that had been instilled in him since birth, and the driver stepped back. Gavin returned his attention to Alex.

"It's okay, Gavin. Have a nice ride in the front. I don't mind the low-rent district. I'm used to it." Alex wasn't expecting first class treatment, but he didn't feel Gavin should lose out on his account.

"Friends don't do that."

The agent was still on the phone, and typing in the computer. "Here's what I can do. If I downgrade Mr. Michaels from first class, where he was upgraded, to business, I can upgrade Mr. Maitland to business also. I don't have two seats together, but I have two aisle seats that adjoin. You can try to switch with someone on board."

"That's more than fair," said Gavin.

A few moments later they were handed their passports, boarding passes, itinerary, and directions to the business class lounge where they could await the departure of their flight to Hong Kong.

"How long is the flight, Gavin?" asked Alex as they walked towards security, the driver still following them.

"Let's see; we leave at 11:19," said Gavin looking at the itinerary, "and we get there at 16:25 tomorrow. That's a little over fourteen hours factoring in the International Date Line. Then the flight from Hong Kong leaves around midnight and arrives in London at about six in the morning, so that's about thirteen hours. The flight from London back to San Francisco is about eleven hours."

"I can see it's not going to be fun – I foresee boredom in our future, Gavin. Around the world in 38 hours – that's going to be the title of the new book I'm going to write. Thank God we've got breaks in there or I'd be suicidal. Can you imagine that much time on a plane?"

They reached security and got in line. The driver didn't enter the line and said, "I'll wait here until you clear security. Then I'll be on my way. Have a safe flight. Call your father if anything goes amiss before takeoff."

Gavin nodded, smiled a restrained and very proper smile, then waved at the driver before turning his back on him. He faced Alex, answering his question. "Movies and sleeping. That's the primary activity. And food. They feed you a lot, though in business it's not like first class. In first all you do is eat. I guess they figure if your mouth is moving, then you don't have time to be bored."

They reached the front of the line in short order. They unloaded their belongings, took off their shoes and belts, and then went through the metal detectors, after which they reversed the process. It seemed rather pointless to Alex – he felt many of the requirements were exercises in making you feel safer without actually making anyone safer: all they seemed to do was make the lines move slower.

As they walked towards the lounge, Alex asked, "Have you been to Hong Kong before?"

"Yeah, a few times. Mostly with Dad delivering these diplomatic pouches. I don't figure this one's too secret or they wouldn't trust it with me."

"Or maybe they assume that if you're carrying it, everyone will think exactly that, and in fact, it's really secret."

"Alex, you should go into the diplomatic corps. That's the sort of second guessing that consumes half of the staff."

"So, what about Hong Kong? What's it like?"

"Wow. That's a difficult thing to describe. It's got a brand new airport, so we'll miss the excitement of landing at the old one. When I was kid we flew into the old one where your plane swooped down over the skyscrapers, barely missing them, before touching down. It was, according to pilots, one of the most dangerous airports in the world. More than a few times, planes hit the buildings."

"Well at least we'll skip that adventure."

"Yeah. The new airport's brilliant, actually. There's a new train that goes right from the airport into Kowloon and then on to Central. It's sort of, but not really, part of the subway system. You'll like it, I'm sure. We'll be getting around on the subway."

"So you have everything planned out?"

"Yes, I took the liberty of doing so, though if you have any requests, I'll certainly take them and amend our schedule."

"Okay, but you haven't told me about Hong Kong, yet."

"Yeah, okay," said Gavin holding the door to the business class lounge open for Alex.

They entered and were immediately stopped and asked for their tickets and boarding passes, which they presented. Their passports were also checked again. After the paperwork was confirmed, they were allowed to continue in. They grabbed some snacks and drinks before sitting down at a secluded table in the corner of the lounge.

"Nice lounge, eh?" asked Gavin.

"The only lounge I've ever been in is the Concorde lounge in New York, so that's an unfair comparison. Even though this is nice, the Concorde lounge was a lot more impressive."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. I wish I had the opportunity to fly it, but since they're retiring Concorde soon, I don't expect I'll have the chance."

"Pity. I'd like to do it again, but I've got better things to do with $12,000."

"Yeah, like what?"

Alex laughed. "It doesn't matter. You still haven't told me about Hong Kong."

"Alright, alright, alright. Hong Kong is the most distinct city in the world. It's a dichotomous society. It's a part of China now but it's still very British, and in some places more so than England herself because the Englishness of Hong Kong is more colonial than modern." Gavin paused and took a sip of his ginger ale.

"But, I really can't explain it. You need to be there. The one thing you'll notice is that Hong Kong is a tall city. People think New York is a tall city. New York has some tall buildings, but Hong Kong has hundreds of buildings that tower above the city and they're full of nothing but tiny apartments. And when you see the advertisements with the prices, you won't believe how insanely high they are." Gavin stuffed some cheese and crackers into his mouth.

"It sounds neat."

Gavin swallowed his food and continued, "Neat doesn't begin to describe it. It's crowded and fast-paced. Walking down the street is a chore because there are so many people in such a small place, and everyone is trying to sell you a suit or a fake Rolex. Hong Kong has everything you could want: real and fake. The streets are colourful and loud; there are signs, both in Chinese and in English, hanging from every building – even the street signs. Though the English is slowly fading away as it becomes more Chinese."

"I'm looking forward to it. Watch my stuff! I gotta go pee."

"Sure thing," said Gavin.

Alex returned ten minutes later, face flushed.

"Made a new river, did you?"

"Um, yeah. It just took a little longer than I expected."

"I see. You had a pre-flight tension relief session? You're such a pig! Why didn't you just say you were going for a wank?" laughed Gavin, thinking he was being clever and making a joke.

"I didn't say I did that. Why do you think I did?" asked Alex, turning bright red.

Gavin felt badly, but figured there was no graceful way out, now. "It's pretty obvious. You were gone ten minutes, you come back with a bit of a grin, you're breathing fast like you just ran, and your face is red."

Alex sat down, sulked, and said nothing else.

Gavin smiled at him. "Come on. Don't be embarrassed. We all do it. If it makes you happy to pretend you're immune, we'll just pretend I didn't notice. I was making a joke. I didn't realize you'd actually gone and done it."

"You're very forward. Did you know that?"

"I suppose. I just don't see the point of continuing to deny something so obvious."

"I guess. I did it. I admit. Are you happy?" asked Alex angrily.

"I'd be happy if you told me who you were thinking about when you did it."

Alex's look was inscrutable and he was obviously ready with a smart retort when the public address speaker came on.

"United Airlines is pleased to announce the boarding of flight 88 to Hong Kong. Passengers in the lounge are invited to board. Please exit via the marked door, then go right and about twenty yards down, the gate will be on your left. You will again require your boarding pass and passport." The announcement started again in Chinese, but the boys had already grabbed their things and headed towards the door.

They arrived at the gate and noticed the flight was going to be full if the number of people in the boarding area was any indication. They got in line, boarded the plane without incident, and found their seats. The seats were six abreast, two on each side and two in the middle and were comparable to a domestic first-class seat. Alex was in the right aisle seat in the middle section and Gavin in the aisle seat on the left side. A few seconds later, Alex's seatmate arrived. Alex asked the elderly Chinese man if he'd mind switching with Gavin so they could sit together, and he readily agreed. Alex and Gavin both thanked the man profusely, and then gave each other a high-five.

The flight attendant came by and took their drink orders. They each opted for a Coke. Soon they were settled in, sipping on their sodas as the 747-400 slowly filled, passengers snaking their way past them and into the rear of the plane.